Feeding the finicky: instilling a positive attitude in your children toward nutrition not only can be managed; it can be fun.

Were my four children conspiring to test my commitment to good nutrition? I was trying to reassure myself that kids are naturally picky eaters and that mine would receive all the nutrients they needed if provided with basically healthy menu choices. But then I assessed the situation at the dinner table one evening.

Lilianna, age 8, was subsisting on melted cheese (which she carefully removed from the top, discarding the remaining ingredients), while Zachary, 5, ate nothing green, yellow, or orange. Hannah steadfastly refused to try anything foreign to her experienced 3-year-old palate and was adeptly teaching our 1-year-old to say "Yucky!" in unison with her. It was time for some serious problem solving.

My primary concern was that the children meet---either within the narrow selection of foods they found palatable or with a newfound willingness to try new foods--their minimum daily requirements. I also hoped to teach them something about the importance of good nutrition.

Fortifying favorites. The first thing I did was to be a bit subversive, enlisting the help of "food fortifiers" to boost the nutritional value of foods the children already enjoyed. Wheat germ sprinkled on macaroni and cheese before baking (concealed under the cheese) added vitamins and minerals. Popcorn and blender smoothies were fortified with nutritional yeast, adding B vitamins, protein, and iron. (The taste of nutritional yeast is rather strong, so I started with just a pinch.) Some fortifiers were simply nourishing additions to the least nutritious parts of our diets. For example, as a special treat, I used a little molasses--rather than chocolate--in warm or cold milk, adding an excellent source of iron to their diets. (While straight molasses is strong, we discovered that a small amount in milk is deliciously mild.) Heavily sweetened yogurts were eliminated when we began making our own yogurt sweetened only with fresh fruit. We were accustomed to eating whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables, but I conscientiously converted even the last holdouts (like spaghetti).

Shifting the responsibility. While this strategy was very successful, I still had to address the fact that the children were learning little about the importance of nutrition. The idea for my next step came to me as I gazed at the chore charts--used by many families to instill responsibility-- posted on our refrigerator. I moved the old charts to a less conspicuous place and replaced them with our new priority--nutrition charts. Our charts are based on the Department of Agriculture's new food group pyramid and our vegetarian preference. Throughout the day the children color or place a check in each box as they fulfill that requirement. At a glance I can evaluate how each child is doing and, as the day proceeds, offer something from the areas that have been neglected (a piece of fruit when little fruit has been eaten, low-fat yogurt with dinner when dairy has been shunned). More important, they have all become much more nutritionally aware and enthusiastic--even willing to try new foods if they know they'll be able to count them on their charts. I actually caught Zachary voluntarily snacking on a carrot so that he could color in his last veggie square!

The reward for completing the chart is often only the simple satisfaction of meeting the requirements. Other times the reward is a special (though still healthful) dessert. While we are careful not to always equate reward with eating especially sweets--an added lesson here is that the eating of caloric extras should be considered only after basic requirements are met. So some nights those who have completed their charts for the day enjoy special afterdinner treats.

Staying flexible. While encouraging the children to assume more responsibility for their nutritional health, keep in mind that achieving good nutrition is more important than arbitrary rules about when to eat what. If a child eats an apple or a hard-boiled egg shortly before dinner, for example, I c onsider the snack a contributor rather than a meal "spoiler."

I've also become more flexible in the types of food offered at different times of the day. Rice and beans are a perfectly healthful breakfast, and granola eaten zestfully at lunch is applauded. I try to offer a variety of foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, milk products, etc.), but I am not attached to when they are consumed. I also have given up the notion that we must all eat the same thing at the dinner table. I don't try to provide a restaurant menu, but keep nutritious, easily prepared, wellliked staples on hand. For example, I try to always have a pot of rice in the refrigerator, and will gladly heat it up for the child who doesn't like our main dish. And cottage cheese and unsweetened applesauce, needing no preparation, are always acceptable replacements for a new item someone finds yucky.

I think I have a good start at instilling in our children a healthful attitude toward food and health. In our home, maintaining good nutrition has become quite manageable and (dare I say it?) fun!